U.S. Sen Marco Rubio’s bill to make Daylight Saving Time year-round got a boost Monday from President Trump.
“Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!” Trump said in a tweet, giving a presidential thumbs up to Rubio’s proposal to keep the clocks moved forward permanently.
Under Rubio’s Sunshine Protection Act, filed last week and co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, Americans would set their clocks ahead one hour and keep them there, giving them an extra hour of sunlight in the evening during the winter months when DST usually ends.
A companion bill was filed in the House by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, and Greg Steube, R-Sarasota.
The bill is a repeat of a bill Rubio filed last year that did not make it out of committee.
Rubio later tweeted directly at Trump, pointing out in case the president was unaware of his bill that “I re-filed my bill from last congress along with [Scott] to do just that. Hopefully we can pass it in Congress & get it to your desk soon.”
It was unclear whether Trump’s endorsement of the idea of permanent DST, if not Rubio’s bill specifically, would help or hurt the Sunshine Protection Act.
Responses to the tweet have included reflective opposition to a Trump idea, as well as at least one Trump critic tweeting, “Finally we agree!”
While it shows that Trump would likely sign a bill that got to his desk, it would still have to get the approval of senators from states such as Arizona – which doesn’t have DST – Alaska, which sees periods of near-endless sun or almost no sun, and northern states that will see cold, dark mornings.
It would also have to pass a Democratic House, though Democrats including U.S. Rep. Darren Soto have backed permanent DST in the past.
The push for year-round DST came after Scott signed into law last year a Florida bill that would have made Daylight Saving Time permanent in Florida alone, which failed to get congressional approval.
Rubio’s office cited studies that show the benefits of extra evening sun, including reducing car crashes because evening commuting hours would be in sunshine.
Opponents have said darkness later in the morning could pose dangers to children walking to school or waiting on buses.
slemongello@orlandosentinel.com, 407-418-5920, @stevelemongello, facebook/stevelemongello